I'm a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst. For 20+ years I've been practicing on 12th Street, around the corner from the Forbes Building and right in the middle of the digital revolution — both of them. Having written for professional audiences and become a not infrequent source (e.g., Wired, New York, NY Times, The Today Show) I figured Web 2.0 was the right time to put my ideas out there myself. First at True/Slant, then Psychology Today, and now at Forbes, my "beat" includes clinical insights and research developments useful for building an authentically good life in our increasingly complex and technologically-mediated world, along with identifying those choices that promise more than they can deliver. Along with my full-time private practice I'm a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst at the William Alanson White Institute and a Clinical Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at New York Medical College.

If The President Could Have Been Trayvon, Could You Be A Zimmerman?

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The only way to have a conversation about race that does not get co-opted and polarized by politicians is to have the conversation. So, I’d like to bring up a question: If as President Obama said “Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago” could you, or I, have been George Zimmerman? My answer—and I hope to hear yours—includes psychological factors both disturbing and optimistic. Disturbing because implicit or unconscious racial bias is still pervasive regardless of conscious attitudes. Optimistic because we do not have to act on the automatic firing of these biases. We can think and use good judgment; by not taking feelings to be facts and by reflecting before acting we really can encourage the better angels of our nature.

Implicit racial biases rage against black men everywhere. The President cited how they operate in his experience: black men followed in stores, women clutching their handbags when a black man enters an elevator, car doors clicking locked when a black man walks across the street.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that these racial biases only live in the minds of others. No one is exempt. If you lie down in wet paint you’re going to get dirty and given America’s racial context, well, implicit racial biases are pretty much inevitable. For a personal experience go to the Project Implicit website and take the Race Bias test. When I took the test I scored the same as 70% of people on the web-site. I showed an automatic preference for White people compared to Black people. In fact, I was in the top 27% who showed a strong automatic preference. And this is so despite strong conscious attitudes and behaviors favoring equality.

Unconscious racial biases are apparently everywhere, even among professionals trained not to exhibit them and in contexts designed to eliminate their influence. Given this pervasive power is it any wonder that an untrained, angry man with an agenda and a gun in his waist-band noticed a young black man, a child really, walking through his community and immediately felt threatened? And this biased perception is understandable. He had no control over it. However, this does not make Zimmerman less responsible; it makes him more. He should have known better than to act on a biased perception. He should have known that a feeling is not a fact, that his mind was creating a threat of criminal intent, and that no responsible adult should act on what is essentially a psychological illusion.

Unconscious racist biases do not make you a bad person. They are not a source of shame. They are for those raised in this place and at this time nearly inevitable. The source of my optimism, and what partly differentiates us from Zimmerman, is that they are also an opportunity for self-knowledge, however uncomfortable that knowledge may be.

Zimmerman’s shame is not that he felt Treyvon was a threat. The problem is that he believed his biased feelings accurately represented reality. He should have called them into question. His shame, and the source of this tragedy, is not what happened to him unconsciously. It was his mindless acceptance of his bias. Even a modicum of self-awareness would have saved the life of a promising young man. And Florida’s shame is arming such a man, empowering him to stand his ground.

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Trayvon Martin could have been me 45 years ago and I’m white. Zimmerman profiled, but not in the way these people think. Everyone Zimmerman saw was a criminal suspect. He called 911 so often, they should have given him a walkie-talkie. There were more red flags waving over Zimmerman than the Boston bombers. His concealed carry rights should have been investigated long ago.

Everyone GZ REPORTED, except for kids playing in the street, were Black. Just a few weeks before the Trayvon killing, GZ had called 911 on another young Black male, said he wasn’t going to engage him, the youth was, days later, arrested with stolen articles in his backpack. Perhaps GZ wanted to make up for that? A neighbor had called police because, prior to the tragedy, GZ had followed HIM home and banged on his door. The road-rage incident, his throwing a woman across the room, punching his fiancee, assaulting officers elsewhere, admitting to molestation accusations in front of his parents at age 18, saying “I’m sorry” & walking away…the list is long. GZ was a troubled youth, is a troubled adult. No, he should have been investigated more thoroughly before issued a concealed carry. The day he turned himself in, he had ANOTHER gun in his glove box, one he bought in fear. Thanks be no one was killed with THAT gun. Does he have a gun now? We can hope not.

Are you kidding me? You both should have your head examined. If Trayvon wasn’t a threat when George first encountered him, he certainly was a threat when he was beating Mr. Zimmerman and threatening to kill him. Oh, and by the way, the only racist comment on the record was uttered by Trayvon, when he called George a cracker. Or is that not racist, in your opinion?

I agree, and not squidward. Until the paint dries (to use my analogy from the article) I don’t think we can blame each other for getting dirty. But you are spot on right that culture change is everyone’s responsibility and the source for much bias.

Wow, have you missed the point howard. The fact the President is half-white and extraordinarily well-educated does not insulate him from anti-black racial bias. He has received the same kind of treatment as Trayvon.

You proposing that, at any point in Obama’s life, he went through anything remotely resembling Trayvon’s character flaws/life style, and the social stigma that goes along with it, is specious at best and a lie at worst.

No he doesn’t when people see the skin color they see blk. And regardless if he’s half white, he’s blk and he looks blk in he eyes of others. When he steps outside no one says, “Oh that man’s half white.” Then stops following him around the store. Believe me I’v seen this as my children are mixed. The funny thing is with my skin color when white people get mad at me what name do you think they call me? Yes the “N” word.

Trayvon’s “character flaws”? He was barely 17, how many could he have had? GZ was renown for his volatility, his abusive nature, his attacks on officers of the law, on women, on children, a man on the highway, a neighbor, and he allegedly bought that pistol to use on a dog he was afraid of. GZ’s “flaws” extended to his need for mind-altering prescription drugs, both of which CAN cause hallucinations, and rage. Race-baiting? Try the word FACTS in the place of “race-baiting”. Just say, lay off the FACTS. GZ’s “lifestyle” included assaulting women, children, officers, and perhaps dogs. He had made almost 50 calls to 911 that almost ALL included the word “Black”.

Since you appear not to be of a race that has suffered racial profiling, perhaps you simply are unaware that those NOT White have almost assuredly felt the sting of such at some point in their lives. That’s just the way it is in America.

The “lie” just may be that you are qualified to speak for the President. As an old Zen ‘saying’ goes…”You are NOT the fish.” Until you have been the fish…perhaps not speaking of them is best?

Here we have proof that abandoning the Trivium method of teaching has failed. Few today have the precious ability of reading comprehension in America. The FACTS were in the wonderful article. The FACT is that racial bias exists. The FACT is that our duly elected President has, of his own account, in his own words (Have you read his book?) been subjected to racial bias. The FACT is that, unless you are NON-White, you can have no hope of knowing what NON-Whites experience. I suggest the Book, ‘Black Like Me’. If reading is just too much, there is an old film by the same name. Alas, those not BORN fish may never realize the “lifestyle”. Trivium education…what a loss!

You are correct.. Your previous post was an outstanding example of how our education system has failed you… rife with no truths or “fact”.

No one is denying racial bias exists. I am denying racial bias existed in Zimmerman’s initial reaction upon seeing Trayvon, nor upon trying to help pinpoint his location, nor in the shooting – which he was justified in doing.

Also, no one is denying Obama has been exposed to racial bias… but to suggest in anyway that Obama ‘s upbringing and experiences were in anyway remotely equal to that of Trayvon is ridiculous and speaks to your willful ignorance.

As far as being Non-White… I am Cherokee and Irish… You know, the “Native” American and the “original” American Slave?

From your logic, black people will never know what is like to be non-black. So I will hope they will stop talking like they know what it is like to be non-black. We all have experienced prejudice in our lives. If you think I haven’t just because I’m white just goes to show that you are ignorant of others life experiences.

You’re killing me Smalls. Apparently being “Native” and “original” doesn’t exempt one from being a bigot. Your blind parroting of the rhetoric touted by old rich men makes you a slave. Wake up. Someone died at the hands of another. No life is worth less than a set of skewed ideals that protect a perceived ‘right’. If you think an amendment to a document gives you the right to anything, then your masters have already dug your grave.

Did you just call me a bigot??? In what imaginary world do you live, where anything I stated, can be construed as bigoted.

Let me guess, you’re a liberal? Am I right? I think it goes without saying, and without me even having to point it out to you, that the very first people to call racism and bigotry, without anything to back up the charge, are the most ignorant and gullible (ie. liberals)

And please, tell me of this “old rich men rhetoric” which you speak of. Do you even know what rhetoric is or means? And if you think self-defense / self-preservation is nothing more than a skewed ideal then you really need to be spending your time on more constructive ventures – like an education. You’ll have to step away from your typical sources, though. Apparently they haven’t worked out well for you.

And what exactly do you mean by, “If you think an amendment to a document gives you the right to anything, then your masters have already dug your grave.” ?

I’d rather not speculate since your ignorance may far outweigh logic and reason – so I will wait for your response.

The answer is no for most of us. Even a common criminal would know the rules. He would show you his gun and say “give me your wallet or I will shoot” and if you give him your wallet you expect to survive the deal. A police officers must tell a suspect to show his hands and can only shoot if he sees the suspect reach for a weapon. George Zimerman never identified himself. He never asked “Are you lost?” he never said “show me your hands I have a gun”. if he was really worried he would have assume that Trayvon Martin (who he said is “Up to no good”) has a gun and not come out of his car. He never said “The police are on the way stop and put your hands in the air!

Zimmerman only got out of the car to read an address. Martin had run away and Zimmerman was told not to follow him and made arrangement to meet the police who were on the way. Zimmerman by his call to the police was trying to avoid a confrontation with some one he had no idea if they were armed or not. The 911 call transcript makes it clear Zimmerman had no intention to confrint Martin

Surely you have not listened to the taped interviews at the police station, nor truly heard the initial 911 call. Did you look at the map of the path GZ took in that apartment complex? Like the interviewing officer asked him, why would he have to get out of the car to look for where he was? He had SAID he knew the place like the back of his hand, knew EVERY person who lived there, every house. When asked “Are you FOLLOWING him?”, GZ replied in the affirmative. One can hear him running to catch up to Martin, cursing all the way. From the time he was told NOT to FOLLOW, he had plenty of time to run back to his SUV. WHY didn’t he cry out for help ON HIS WAY BACK TO HIS CAR, and alert others to the “danger” he perceived? “EVERYONE STAY INSIDE, WE HAVE AN INTRUDER, POLICE ARE ON THE WAY!” might have been a clever shout. Who would have ‘attacked’ him after such a cry of alarm? Did you hear him say TM was hiding in bushes? Did you see the reenactment video that clearly showed there were NO bushes there? Trayvon died with NO DNA of his on GZ’s gun, NO GZ DNA on his hands, under his nails, and one very small scratch on his left ring finger, BELOW the knuckle. Officer Serino & others reported GZ’s MINOR abrasions did NOT fit with his account of the fight. He was NOT impaired in any way on his arrival at the police station. Odd for a man who was almost beaten to death. Look at the map of where Trayvon was killed, where GZ’s SUV was parked. He was NOT on his way back to it. GZ gave a total of THREE versions of what happened. Which did you choose to believe? Trayvon gave NO account…he died.

It boggles the mind that the prosecution never saw it fit to point out even the most basic of inconsistencies with Zimmerman’s several and conflicting accounts of what took place that fatal night. But for a man who sat there and watched his wife lie about finances and used what he thought was smart coded language about money and passports you just have to shake your head in disbelief. So Trayvon had both hands over his mouth and he was able to keep screaming for help. His mouth was filled with blood and he kept screaming. Trayvon then reached down to the back of the pinned down Zimmerman (with his third hand) and tried to pull a gun from a holster that Zimmerman was pinned down on. Zimmerman managed to reach behind him (while pinned down MMA style), pull the gun and shoot (not sideways) directly into Trayvon’s heart. Trayvon was able to throw up his hands and say “you got me” just after a hollow point bullet tore through his heart. Or did he see the gun, throw up his hands and then get shot. This thing is wrong on so many levels. What is Zimmerman guilty of ? According to our Florida legal system. Nothing. The message ? Make sure you shoot to kill. Leaving the other party alive can seriously complicate your defence. Pick a fight with a minor (they cannot legally possess guns in Florida) as that will improve your chances of a kill and an acquittal. Make sure your lawyer insists on and gets an all-female mostly white jury. Appeal to gun owners to support your cause so that you can pay for your defence. Perhaps this is the “God’s Plan” Zimmerman was referring to on the Sean Hannity interview.

Wow Eilat! I watched the entirety of the trial and never saw you on the stand as a witness. That’s pretty crazy since you seem to have been there close enough to see and hear the transaction that took place between the two.

You state as unquestioned fact: “George Zimerman never identified himself. He never asked “Are you lost?” he never said “show me your hands I have a gun”. He never said “The police are on the way stop and put your hands in the air!

All of these statements are rooted in opinion and assumptions, not first hand information. There are no pieces of evidence or testimony that would support nor refute these assumptions. I’ll now make an assumption: Because you base your opinions on media coverage or the speaking points of others instead of logic, reason, or any sort of fact, it can safely be assumed that your opinions offer little value.

This I can safely say without implicit bias. Having taking the implicit bias test, I also found that I have stong bias tendencies, but also like the author I find that the ability to apply logic and rational thought before acting on these biases brings out our better nature. It’s all about acting on facts, not assumptions either explicit or implicit – something it would appear you would benefit from before vilifying Zimmerman or anyone else.

Can you say with me “emotional over-reaction”. The country is swept up in it. How many times have you had a Black man behave threatening toward you in the last 6 months? None at all? Oh. It’s happened to me twice in my neighborhood of expensive condos and Victorians not far from a Black neighborhood. Until the Black Community mans up to the mess it has created among its’ young then you can get hysterical all you want and it wont change how people feel out on real streets. The woman upstairs told me a couple of days after I told her she looked peaked, that she and two girlfriends had been mugged at gun point by Back boys in a nearby neighborhood and one of the three spent a week in the hospital after being pistol-whipped. They were all White but it would have been the same if they had been Black women. She’s a singer and actress in the independent theater in this liberal town. She doesn’t want to blame Black boys for what happened. Well some cite the percentage of Black men in jail as a symptom of racism while some look at it and say whatever the reason there is a lot of bad stuff going on and I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay for Society’s mistakes or any Black dude’s response to racism. Yeah they were dealt a bad hand at cards in life but look around the world and you’ll see that a lot. The only people who can protect Black kids are their own communities and they can do that by teaching them to respect their elders, study hard, stay out of trouble and stop whining. i can’t remember off hand but wasn’t it on Mother’s Day when a couple of Black boys started shooting into an annual procession honoring mothers to get someone they had an issue with. So people like you can keep up with the sermons but if you look around your churches have emptied out on your watch. There is the real world that Zimmerman and Trevyon both lived in and there is the world that sermons like this are written for and they don’t share the same planet. And that is why the feds would be making a big mistake if they go after Zimmerman. You have one side of the equation on the streets right now. You do not wont both sides out there.

Wow… I admit I didn’t read your whole post. I stopped because this statement was so, so, so mind blowing: ” Until the Black Community mans up to the mess it has created among its’ young.” Wow, not to remove all blame from African-Americans because we have let down our ancestors in many cases but, really, the mess the black community created? Whites didn’t have something to do with that? That little old slavery thing that lasted 300 years, followed by 100 years of Jim Crow didn’t play just a tiny little role? Well, since we’re rewriting history and totally leaving parts out, I have a non-fiction book I would like you to work with me on. It will reveal that we went to Mars — not the moon — and that we met some pretty awesome Martians there that liked to play Yahtzee. Care to sign on as a co-author? Oh and let’s see, although we’re less than 50 years removed from the civil rights movement, we’ve managed to land a black man in the White House, which isn’t all that bad in terms of progress. Here’s my point without the sarcasm. Please stop painting one race as being this way or that way. If I follow your flawed logic (which I never would) any and every white person who does something illegal or immoral is thereby a reflection of their entire race. Meaning I should fear being killed and eaten by white people because of Jeffrey Dahmer or maybe I should see all whites as drunk morons because that what Lindsay Lohan is. Look I don’t see all white people that way. Believe it or not, I look at the individual. Many are remarkably brilliant and good people. Same goes for blacks, Asians, Hispanics, etc., despite the bad seeds that exist in ALL our communities. I beg you, please educate yourself. Please spend time with people who don’t look like you and who come from different backgrounds. You will see that there are many people out there with the same wants and desires as you (safety, freedom, love, happiness) who don’t look like you. You’ll be a better person for it. :)

There is so much information that has been left out with respect toward Zimmerman’s frame of mind. Was the neighborhood integrated? Was the neighborhood watch group integrated? How many burglaries had occurred in the recent past? Was someone always “on patrol”? Did they also follow people? Did the follow anyone with a “hoodie”? I’m not sure that Zimmerman knew Martin was black from the beginning. Did Zimmerman lose track of Martin and is that why he got out of his car? Did Martin really jump him and pummel him?

Again, do examine the maps of the way this thing played out. Martin WAS on his way back to his own apartment, and WAS almost home. It was GZ who, after having been told not to follow, continued the pursuit and shot TM as the youth was in the “home stretch” just a few buildings away from “where he belonged”. We have NO video of what actually happened, no one stepped up to claim they saw EITHER TM or GZ pursuing the other, did they? We had …what? GZ’s statements, but which ones were correct? He gave 3 accounts. His statements were questioned by the interviewing officer, Serino. Illegally attacking ? No one was there except GZ and TM. TM didn’t give his account. GZ became a stalker when he continued to follow TM, continued to follow, to search for TM, not wanting him to “get away” as he himself clearly stated in interview. What would YOU have done, fled screaming from a stalker? I wish Trayvon had run home quickly as his friend had advised. He WAS, clearly, on his way. Dare we think that GZ HAD to get out of his SUV for ANY reason? Would police have MISSED something as big as an SUV had he sat still in it and waited for police? They did not need an address to locate a big SUV. He replied affirmative to “Are you FOLLOWING him?” That he later changed that was one of the things Serino didn’t like.

Wow Wani. Whatever it is you think happened, whatever it is you “believed” happen, whatever it is you presume as “fact’ – has been, time and time again, proven the contrary.

I’m embarrassed for you, your children, and your family. At no time should anyone, especially your children, have to be exposed to the kind of blatant willful ignorance and stupidity you’re displaying here.

I don’t know if I have any unconscious racial biases. I probably do but that’s about the only thing me and Zimmerman would have in common.

1. I would not care if kids were doing drugs in my neighborhood. 2. I would not take it upon myself to “protect” the neighborhood. 3. I would not ignore the 911 dispatchers directions 4. I would not carry a gun outside of a hunting trip 5. I would not confront a potential criminal in such an amateurish dangerous manner

In all the discussion about race, what we’re forgetting that its Zimmerman’s dangerous vigilante-ism that killed Trayvon Martin, not his racism.

Did you even LISTEN to Zimmerman’s call to the police? I don’t think many who keep spouting this “racism” garbage have. Zimmerman was profiling Martin on BEHAVIOR first. When asked by the operator about the persons race, HE DID NOT KNOW at first. He just saw some probably young teen with his face covered acting in a way that he thought was suspicious. Identifying Martin’s race happened AFTERWARDS.

I am not saying that racist views do not exist, I am saying that they most likely did not come into play here, except for the black racists that have a thing against whites (ie, Martin and his “creepy a– cracker” comment.

The verbatim transcript of that call is found in many places. You are wrong. GZ’s IMMEDIATE response was that “He looks black.” that will be the 4th sentence spoken in the call. A few sentences later he repeats “And he’s a black male.” He saw him clearly enough to say “…late teens.” Sure, TM may well have used the word ‘cracker’, & he may have used that “a-hole” word that GZ used speaking of him. But we have no nearly 50 911 calls made by Martin about “suspicious Whites in the neighborhood”, do we? Would TM have been chasing a white man through his neighborhood on a rainy night? Who can say? We can’t ask Trayvon….anything. Is the “race card” played from EVERY hand? Almost…but if we accept that, then perhaps we can accept that Martin was as scared of being followed by GZ as GZ was scared of a Black teenager.

Wow. You’re ok with killing someone after you set in motion the actions that cause the person to react to your behavior ? I pray you never the news that your teenage son lost his life because a trigger happy vigilante saw it fit to do police work they were never trained for.

The President’s comments ARE appropriate, as his being “half-white” means he is seen as Black. As the author notes, a negative reaction to Black males is quite common in America. Your reference to the “Purple Drank” reflects your obvious ‘racial bias’ as defined in this very good article. Arrest records would likely show as many Whites use that ‘drink’ as “others”. Dare we admit that? Thank you for showing us that the author was spot-on. Zimmerman, according to a close friend, had been estranged from his family until this incident with Trayvon. The friend mentioned that GZ was often beaten by his mother and the father didn’t intervene. ‘No troubled childhood’? The President could not ‘identify’ with that at all. GZ, and wife, face several more runs through the ‘judicial system’ after this. Possible civil suit by his cousin, in a Virginia court, for his alleged molestation of her and another child (children ALL at the time) belies your assessment that GZ had no ‘troubled childhood’. I don’t believe the President is on 2 mind-altering drugs as GZ was/is. Does Mr. Obama have an arrest record? GZ does. Tho’ his mother was amazingly “white” our President cannot possibly ‘identify’ as such. Dedicated patriotic citizens such as yourself would NEVER allow that! Bias lives.

Yes, I’m going to be suspiscious of a black teenager in a hoodie, droopie pants and backwards baseball cap around my car or home. A hispanic and caucasian teenager dressed that way will raise the same reaction I’m not going to pay no attention to a black teen in a suit & tie or casual golf attire (Tiger Woods), just like I’d ignore a hispanic or caucasian dressed the same way If they look like they belong to a gang, white, black or brown, my survival/protection instinct will kick in. If they dress like middle class america, it won’t; t-shirt & jeans

Well any teenager hanging around your house no matter thier race or how theyre dressed is likely up to no good. Teenagers rarely are, but that doesn’t mean you should vigilante it up either. Its probably just drugs. Call the cops if you must but to act as GZ did in that situation is dangerous and irresponsible.

Well I don’t know where you live, but in Florida, a suit & tie is out of the norm. A hoodie is pretty normal.

It’s irrelevant, IMO, why he chose to follow Trayvon. Regardless of whether Zimmerman made an improper judgment, the important point is how Trayvon reacted. When I’m being followed, I will probably do one of two things: [1] VERBALLY confront the person, or [2] ignore it and leave. I won’t physically assault the person. Trayvon just happened upon someone who had a gun and that was his mistake.

Great Article. Can we also believe him ? Florida’s stand your ground law must be modified to include a “survivor clause”. In the event of a fatality, the survivor(s) in a fatal confrontation must testify in court. This should be the responsibility that goes with the right to carry a deadly weapon or to take a human life. Perhaps the deterrent might be in having to testify.

You assume Zimmerman made a snap judgment that Trayvon was a threat because he was black. You claim racial bias was the instigator. That’s possible. Isn’t it possible there were other factors? The way he was dressed? The way he carried himself? Is it your opinion we should ignore the subtle cues that, while imperfect, allow us to form first impressions of others?

Of course, you completely ignore Trayvon’s role in the affair. Not surprising.

On the flip side of that whole racist bias thing is racial guilt. I wonder how much that contributed to your own article.

“The way he was dressed”??? It was raining, he wore a hoodie. What else of his apparel was odd? White sneakers? I often wear hoodies myself in foul weather and I am an elderly female. “The way he carried himself”??? How was that? GZ said he was casually walking along, looking at the houses. How SHOULD he have “carried himself”? This was NOT Martin’s first visit to the apartment of his father’s girlfriend. He BELONGED there. How should he have dressed or carried himself? We profile people for THAT? Who knew?

Aye, sir, indeed most do. I spent (or wasted?) over 12 years in the ‘ivied halls’ attempting to find the answers to why ‘we’ do the inhumane things we do, why we separate ourselves by race or age or gender or religion or whatever….and why fear motivates us to do abominable things, and why we try so hard to make excuses for things we do that are simply inexcusable. Psychology offered no valid answer. BUT, the answer may have at last come from a 3-year-old grandson who said to me years ago, when asked why he kept taking scissors he was not allowed to have. “Because I LIKE scissors, they make me happy, and I usually don’t get caught.” Wisdom from the mouths of babes…

This was a very good article. I appreciate its publication. And to all, a good day.

From the last paragraph “Even a modicum of self-awareness would have saved the life of a promising young man.”

Trayvon was suspended for possession of stolen merchandise. I think he wasn’t charged b/c the local authorities were trying to control their statistics. Also, IIRC, some of Trayvon’s social media posts indicated that he sold drugs and liked to fight. The Arizona watermelon drink & skittles he had at the time of death are ingredients for a drug mixture known as ‘Lean’ or ‘Puple Drank’ (The missing ingredient was cough syrup…preferably one with codeine.)

I’m assuming the author is either ignorant or runs a gang & thinks Trayvon would’ve made a good recruit. Or maybe he’s just trying to advance an agenda?….

Nobody denies that Zimmerman, and everyone has some unconscious “racisim” to a certain extend. The point you are missing is that it is human nature to learn from past experiences and use that to make better decisions in the future. Given that there were previous crimes recently commited by black males in his neighborhood, it is understandable why he called the police and why he followed Trayvon – that is not racism, that is common sense. Had the previous robberies all been commited by someone in a honda civic or guys in a trench coat, im sure he would have followed in that scenario too. Was it good judgement to get out of his car? No. But the fact of the matter is, as demonstrated by the jury, that Trayvon at some point was beating Zimmerman, and he had the right to defend himself. The one juror B37 said it the best: “They both should have walked away.”

Re: Johnny Knocke’s idea that it is common sense to follow a particular young black male because of prior reported instances of neighborhood crime committed by young black males. While that sense may be common to many, what Johnny Knockes is really implying is that it is sensible. Here’s what I think is actually sensible. If Zimmerman had actually witnessed Martin committing a crime and then followed him to support the police, that would be sensible. If Zimmerman knew Martin himself from a previous crime that he had witnessed or been the victim of a crime that Martin had perpetrated, that too would be sensible to suspect Martin of no good and follow him. Responding to an all points bulletin? Yes, sensible. Absent these scenarios, it was not actually sensible for Zimmerman to follow and/or accost Martin at all. It isn’t even really all that sensible for Zimmerman to make a 911 call just because of his perception that Martin appeared suspicious by simply just walking down the street with his hood on his head. It was equally not sensible for Martin to retaliate to Zimmerman’s foolishness, and he clearly paid the ultimate price for his lack of sensibility.

That said, here is a bit of common sense that those of you folks with clear and strong, even if denied, racial bias should meditate on. Black families, and their young black male children and relatives, can afford to and will occupy the very same neighborhoods that you assume, for whatever ill-informed reasons, are or should be exclusive to a non-black demographic. And this willingness is not borne out of a desire to be a nuisance to these communities, but it is because most black individuals and families share the same values supported by these communities and expect to reap the same benefits of the communities. In other words, not all black boys traveling through a nice neighborhood are up to no good, even if/when you do not know why they are there or if you do not trust this to be true. This bit of common sense, and the truth that Martin actually belonged in the same neighborhood, was clearly lost on George Zimmerman whether willfully or otherwise. And because of this, Zimmerman overreached.

Sadly, this sort of common sense continues to be lost on so many clearly intelligent, thoughtful, responsible and passionate people in this comment section and in the broader communities that we live in. This type of sensible common sense continues to be crowded out by thinly veiled and generalized fear of whole groups/subgroups of human beings. We then, out of convenience more than necessity, make them our opponents (even enemies) in order to foster a greater sense of internal security through the battles we engage them in; even if those battles are at any moment only happening in our own minds due to our negating bias, racial or otherwise. And that is precisely why this sort of truthful article is a vital a part of the conversation that Trayvon Martin’s death and George Zimmerman’s trial has sparked nationwide. Thank you for this courageous article, Todd. Much appreciated.

Todd, I must admit. The title of your article raised both my eyebrows until I read it. I 100% agree with everything you said. Thanks for sharing your reasoned thoughts on such an emotional topic for many.

Even the jury members and some black prosecution witness’ said that race was not a factor. You should stick to the facts. As far as your racial test goes, why don’t you have a group of minorities take the test and see how they score.